Page 52 of Accidentally in Love

“Two years,” I said in a small voice and squeezed my eyes shut.

“TWO YEARS?” she bellowed. “You’re such a LIAR!”

I opened my eyes, but she smiled at me.

“Girl!” she yelled at me again.

“What?” I grumbled and finished my bagel.

She grabbed my hand and inspected my ring. “Wow, this is so unique.”

“It was his mother’s.”

Her mouth was agape. “Nolan proposed with his mom’s ring? Wow. I think that man really loves you.”

I shook my head and got up to put the dishes away. “No. He just wants to do the right thing. He thinks he has to because of the baby.”

Lizzie looked around and eyed the Christmas tree in the living room. “Avs, I love you, but you’re wrong.”

I ignored her as I loaded the dishwasher. “Any chance you want to help me make cookies today?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really? Can you teach me how to bake? I feel like the worst mom ever that I can’t do that stuff with my kids.”

I waved her off. “Lizzie, you’re such a good mom. I’m afraid I don’t know what I’m doing with this baby.”

She got up from the table and hugged me. “It’s gonna be fine. I didn’t think I had any maternal instincts… you’re gonna be scared, and it’s gonna suck, but it’s also gonna be great.”

I leaned into her hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“I understand.”

“Everything’s happening so fast,” I admitted while I took the dough I made this morning out of the fridge and walked it over to the table. I preheated the oven and found the baking sheets. “Here, grease this pan, and I’ll do this one,” I instructed as I laid them on the table and handed her the butter wrappings I saved from this morning.

“Okay, what are we doing?” she asked as we spread the butter, wrapping facedown, on the metal baking sheets to grease them up.

“We’re going to shape them into balls and then flatten them,” I said.

I demonstrated by rolling a ball of dough onto the sheet and flattening it with the bottom of a glass. I handed her a glass so she could try. I watched her do one and nodded my approval.

We worked together and chatted until she finally asked, “How did he propose?”

I grimaced.

“What?”

“Well, I turned him down at first.”

“What changed?” she asked.

“My sister told me he wanted to give me what I’ve always wanted. A home and a family, and that I should take the risk.”

“So then you said yes?”

I nodded. “That was on Friday, and we just got my stuff from my apartment yesterday.”

“Okay, I see why you felt like it was too soon. Although… you love him, don’t you?”

“Lizzie, you don’t understand, I’ve been in love with Nolan, probably from the moment we met, but I knew it would never come to anything.”